Paper-box machine.



Patented Dec. 19, I899. I. L. SHELDON. 9

PAPER BOX MACHINE.

A 1' m fildJ 29 1999. (ppmm e we 3Sheets-Sheet I.

lllllllr INVENTUH can? I Patent ed Dec. l9, I899.

L. SHELDON. PAPER BUX MACHINE. A upafion filed June 29, 1899.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

WITNESSES INVENTOR Patented Dec. 19,1899.

I. L. SHELDON. PAPER BOX MACHINE.

(Apple 1; nfildJun 29 1899) (No Model.)

INVENTOR WITNESSES im rames IRVING L. SII'ELDON, OF FALL RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS.

PAPER-BOX MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 639,449, dated'December 19, 1899.

Application filed June 29,1899. Serial No. 722,257. (No model- I setts, have invented a new and useful Machine for Making Paper Boxes, of which the following is a specification;

Myinvention relates to the manufacture of paper boxes, and has for its object to provide an inexpensive machine especially adapted for making oval boxes, which. shall be so simple in its construction and mode of operation as to do away with the nece'ssit-y for a high grade of skilled labor, shall be practically impossible to get out. of repair, and which shall be capable of such rapid operation as to greatly reduce the cost of making certain styles of paper boxes.

simple and novel machine of which the followingdeseription, in connection with the ac-' companying drawings, is a spccification, letters and numbers being used to designate the several parts.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine complete;Fig. 2, a section on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3, an enlarged sectionalview on the line 3 din Fig. 1; Fig. 4, an enlarged detail view of the cutters for the covering-strip; Fig. 5, an elevation, on an enlarged scale, of one of the heads: and Fig. 6 isa perspective, on a reduced scale, of the box as formed by the first operatiom-that is, before the covering-strip is applied. Y I

A denotes the framework, which may be of any ordinary or preferred construction; B, a table for the glued blanks C, which form the sides of the boxes; D, a box-bottom; E, covering-paper, a roll of which is ordinarily mounted at the rear end of the framework; F, a glue or paste tank; G, aglue-roller; ,H and J, respectively, the fixed and the movablecutters, and K head's adapted to turn on an axle L, which is itself transversely attached to-a shaft M, journaled in the framework.

The blanks C are notched at their outer edges, leaving tabs 10 between the notches, each blank being glued on the under side at 1 line 11 indicated-the limit of the glued strip between the jaws.

I have at the outer edge and rear end of the strip,

the glued strip at the outer edge ending with the base-line of the tabs, so as to prevent glue from getting upon the inner side of the box. 1

The tabs in practice are a half inch, more or less, in length, 12 denotes agage upon table A, which may be adjusted at any required position on said table-to place the base-line of the tabs in line with the outer edge of the contiguous head. Ihave shown the table as provided withslots 13 and the gage as adjusted'by means of rods and thumb-screws,

(indicated by14,) it being, of course,u nimportant, so far as my present invention is concorned, in what manner the gage is adjusted.

In starting upon a new lot of boxes the operator loosens the thumb-screws and sets the gage, so that when the inner edges of the With these ends in view I have devised the the tabs will be just in line with the outer edge of the head, the tabs extending outward beyond the head.

Two operators are required to run the machine. In starting, the first operatortakes a box-bottom D and attaches it to the outer face of the head contignous to table B, by means-of the points 15, which extend outward from the outer faces of the heads. As it is wholly unimportant, so far as my present invention is concerned, where the tableor other receptacle for holding the box bottoms is, placed, I have omittedit from the drawings and have only shown one of the bottoms in Fig. 6. Having fixed a bottom in place on. the outer face of the head, the operator takes.v a blank 0 and places the outer portion of the foward edge thereof in engagement witha suitable clamp 16, just within a slot 17 in the periphery of the head. The special construction of the heads and the clamps for retaining the forward ends of the blanks is not of the essence of my invention. Any preferred style of headma-y be used; likewise any style-sf clamp that will engage and retain theedge of the blank when the latter is passed in p In the present instance I have shown 'a style of clamp in which the movable jaw is fixed to a rod and.a lever 18 is provided at the opposite end of the rod to release the hold of the clamp upon the blank after the box has been formed.

As already stated, the heads K turn upon loo axle L. Each head is carried by a sleeve 19, which also carries a bevel gear wheel 20. These bevel gear-wheels are adapted to mesh with bevel-pinions 21, which are keyed to shafts 22, journaled in the framework, but are adapted to slide longitudinally on said shafts, said bevel-pinions being shown as socured to the shafts by a spline and groove connection. The hub of each bevel-pinion is provided with a groove 23, which is engaged by a yoke it upon a slide 25, said slides moving in straps 9 and being operated to move the bevel-pinions into and out of engagement with the bevel-gears and cause the heads to rotate by means of bell-crank levers 26, connected by rods 27 to treadles 28, springs 29 acting to hold the slides normally retracted and the bevel-pinions out of engagement with the bevel-gears. In the drawings both bevelpinions are shown asin engagement with the corresponding bevelgears, the treadles 28 being represented as pressed down and the heads as being rotated. It should be-understood, however, that the operation of each head is wholly independent of the operation of the other head, one head being in practice controlled byone operator who makes the box, the other being controlled by the other operator who puts on the covering-strip, as will be more fu.ly explained. Shafts 22 are continuously in rotation when the niachine is in use.

In the present instance I have shown these shafts as carrying worm-wheels 50, which eugage worms 51 on a shaft.52, journaled in the framework. Shaft 52 receives motion from a belt (not shown) which passes over beltpulley 53, .the belt preferably passing up through the floor, although the machine may be driven from an overhead counter-shaft, if preferred.

30 denotes a stop-plate carried by shaft M, which is provided with projections 31, adapted to be engaged by locking-pawls 32.

33 denotes a spring the action of which is to hold both pawls in engagement with opposite sides of either of the projections.

S-t denotes an operating-rod pivoted to one of the pawls and supported by a bracket 3.5, by means of which the pawl to which it is attached may be drawn out of engagement with the stop-plate, said stop-plate itself acting to carry the other pawl out of the way when rotated in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3.

Having engaged the forward end of a blank B with the contiguous head by means of clamp 16 the first operator places his foot uponthe' corresponding treadle 28, moves slide 25, and places one of the bevel-pinions 21 in engagement with the corresponding bevel gear-wheel and imparts rotation to the head. The instant the operator removes his foot from the treadle the corresponding spring 2Q will retract the slide 25 and disconnect the bevelpinion from the gear-wheel, leaving the head without driving power andwholly at the control of the operator by hand. After the head has made a revolution the first operator the bottom D, thereby securing the bottom I and sides together, and thus completing the formation of the box proper, as is clearly shown in Fig. 6, it being of course understood that lids may be made the same way as the boxes and that boxes may be madeof any height up to the extreme width of the heads, it being simply necessary to change gage 12 each time the height of the boxes is changed,

so as to place the base-line of the tabs in line.

with the outer edge of the head.

It should be understood that the special mode in which the machine is operated is not of the essence of myinvention. For example, the folding of the tabs over upon the -bottom of the box may, if preferred, be left for the second operator to do while putting on the covering-strip.

As soon as the first operator has completed the box the'second operator by means of rod 34 disengages pawls 32 from the stop-plate and gives shaft M a half-rotation, releasing rod 34. the instant the half-rotation of the shaft is completed and locking the parts in position, as before. This half-rotation of shaft M will change axle L end for end and will transpose the heads, so that the box which has been formed upon one head by the first operator will now be in position for the covuring-strip to be applied by the second operator, and the head from which the second operator may have just removed a covered box will be in position for the first operator to form another box thereon. The strip of covering-paper, which I have indicated by E, passes over glue-roller G, over and under guide-rollers 36, and between fixed and movable cutters H and J. The movable cutter J is carried by arms 45, which are pivoted to the framework, as at 37, and one of said arms is provided with an extension 38, which extends downward into position to be engaged by a catch 39 upon a lever 40, which is pivoted to a bracket 41, extending from the framework. The other end of lever 10 extends forward into position to be engaged by a pin or lug 42 on the inner face of either of the heads. (See Fig. 1.) A spring 43 acts to draw the rear end of lever 40 upward into operative position,so that catch 39 will engage extension 38, the .upward movement of the lever being stopped after the catch has ongaged extension 38 by a pin 44. The special features of construction of the cutters are that the blade of the movable cutter J is straight across and the blade of the fixed cutter His inclined so that a shearing cut is pro-' duced, beginning, of course, at the high portion of cutter H and ending at the low portion thereof. The fixed cutter H is rigidly affixedto a bracket 46, which is itself secured to the I framework.

- 47 denotes a treadle, and 48a rod-which ex- ..tends upward therefrom and; engages one of swings said lever downward against the power of spring 43 until the arm has passed the catch, when said spring will draw the catch to the locking position andret-ain it there, as 'in Fig. 2. v The parts will remain in this position until lever 40 is trippedby hand or by the engagement therewith of a pin or lug 42 upon one of the heads. This engagement of 'a lug 42 with lever 40 tilts the forward end of said lever upward and the rear end downward, "thereby releasing extension 38 from the catch and'permitting spring 49 to actuate the movable cutter and'sever the strip ofcovering-paper, as will-be again referred to.-

. Returning now to the description of the operation in use, as soon as the half-rotation of shaft M is completed the second operator draws the end of the covering-stri p forward between the cutters and makes it fast to the box upon the head by rubbing it by hand The covering-strip provided in practice is an inch, more or less, wider than the height of the box, half of this extra-width being provided as a finish for thebottom of the box, the other being provided'as a finish for the top of the-box. As soon as the operator has attached the covering-strip to the box he places his foot upon the contiguous treadle 28, moves the corresponding slide 25 and bevel-pinion 21 and communicates motion to the head which he is operating upon. While the head is being rotated the operator rubs the covering-strip by hand and makes it fast to the sides of the box and also folds one ed go of the covering-strip over the bottom of the box, covering the tabs by which the bottom is held in place.

If preferred, the folding of thetabs overupon the bottom of the box may be omitted by the first operator, and this operation may he performed by the second operator simultaneously to the putting on of thecoveringstrip, the second operator using one hand to rub. the covering-strip down smoothly upon the sides of the vboxas the head rotates and the other hand to fold the tabs'and with them course, that both the under side of the covering-strip and the nnder side of the tabs have been thoroughly glued, so as to cause first operator to form another box thereon and places the box which has just been formed by the-first operator in' position to receive the covering-strip. These operations are repeated with great rapidity, completed boxes be ing formed by the operators-in less time than it takes to describe the operation. llalfor :any portion of the boxes may be covered, if

required, by attaching the end of the covering-strip at the necessary place to produce the desired result and allowing the cutters to be operated by pin 42, or the strip may be attached as if the whole box was to be covered and lever 40 tripped by hand, or the position of pin 42- may e changed, a number of threaded holes being provided in the edge of the head to receive the.pin, which may be readily moved from one hole to'another.

Having thus described my in vent-ion, I claim- 1. In a machine of the character described the combination with an axle and heads independently rotatable thereon, of a shaft to which. the axle isattached transverselyso that a half-rotation of the shaft will transpose the heads. i

2. The combination with the heads, of a shaft by which theaxle is carried,

mechanism for locking the shaft after the axle has been changed end for end-and mech-' 'anism for rotating the heads independently on' the axle. I

3. Thecombiuation with the axle and the heads, of a shaft which, carries the axle and also astop-plate 30, pawls engaging the stopplate by which the shaft is heldagainst rotation and mechanism for rotating theheads independently.

4. The combination with the axle and the heads,-of a shaft by which the axle is carried, mechanism for locking the shaft after the heads have been transposed and mechanism for rotating the heads indepepdently.

' '5. The combination with the axle and the .heads, of a shaft to which the axle is attached.

transversely and which carries a plate 30 having projections-31., pawls adapted to engage the opposite sides of either projection,a spring axle and the I IIO for holding both pawls in engagement, and v an operating-lever for moving one pawl out of engagement so that the shaft may be turned to change ends with the axle. 6. 'Thec'ombi'nation with shaftM and mechanism for holding said shaft against rotation,

heads mounted to turn on said axle, bevel of an axle attached to said shaft transversely, I

sliding bevel-pinions adapted to engage the bevel gear-wheels and means for moving the pinions into and out of engagement independently.

7.- The combination with shaft M and mechanism for holding said shaft against rotation, of an axle attached to said shaft transversely,

sleeves mounted to turn on said axle, each engagement withthe gear-wheels and bellcrank levers and treadles for moving said pinions into engagement independently against the power of the springs.

9. The combination with shaft M and an axle secured thereto'transversely,of heads mounted to turn on.- said axle and provided with means for engaging the ends of boxblanks and means for retaining box-bottoms.

10. The combination with shaft M and an axle secured thereto transversely, of heads K mounted upon the axle and provided with means for engaging the ends of box-blanks, means for retaining box-bottoms and mechanism for rotating said heads independently.

11. The combination with shaft M and an axle secured thereto transversely, of heads K mounted upon the axle and provided with meansfor engaging the ends of box-blanks, means for retaining box-bottoms, mechanism for rotating the heads independently and mechanism for locking the shaft after'a halfrotation to change the axle end for end.

12. The combination with shaft M and an,- axle secured thereto transversely, of heads K mounted upon the axle and provided with means for engaging the ends of box-blanks, and means for retaining box-bottoms, and table 13 having an adjustable gage 12 whereby the heads are adapted to make boxes of any height.

13. The combination with shaft M, an axle secured thereto transversely and heads K mounted to turn on said axle and provided with pins 42, of fixed and movable cutters, means for retaining the movable cutter out of engagement and intermediate mechanism,

power of the spring and a lever adapted to beengaged by a pin 42 to release the movable cutter and sever a covering-strip.

15. The combination with shaft M, an axle secured thereto transversely and heads K mounted to turn on said axle and provided with pins 42, of a fixed cutter having an inclined edge,a movable cutterhaving astraight edge and an arm 38, a lever havinga catch adapted to engage arm 38, a spring 43 for holding the arm and catch in engagement, a treadle and rod for raising the upper cutter and a spring 49 for drawing said cutter into engagement so that when lever 40 is engaged by either of the pins 42 said lever will be tilted, arm 38 released and the movable cutter will move into engagement with the fixed cutter.

- In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

IRVING L. SHELDON.

Witnesses:

MATTHEW W. MURDOOH, CHARLES B. STARR. 

